'''Cherokee County, South Carolina''' genealogy and family history research guide. Introduces you to county topics such as vital record births, marriages, divorces, and deaths, census, court records, deeds, maps, immigration, maps, military records, newspapers, obituaries, plantations, probate records, slaves, local archives, libraries, museums, churches, cemeteries, and Civil War records.

'''Cherokee County, South Carolina''' genealogy and family history research guide. Introduces you to county topics such as vital record births, marriages, divorces, and deaths, census, court records, deeds, maps, immigration, maps, military records, newspapers, obituaries, plantations, probate records, slaves, local archives, libraries, museums, churches, cemeteries, and Civil War records.

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=== Historical Facts ===

=== Historical Facts ===

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Cherokee County is named for the [[Cherokee Indians]] Indians who originally inhabited much of South Carolina. After an 1895 Law required the approval of two thirds of the voters residing within the proposed county boundaries, a proponent for the creation of a new county speaking in Cherokee Township, then in York County, agreed to the name Cherokee County to curry favor from the local residents. The residents, who had been hesitant to vote for the creation of Cherokee County under the old proposed name, turned out in droves to vote for the creation of the Cherokee County.<ref>"Cherokee County" (http://www.carolana.com/SC/Counties/cherokee_county_sc.html : accessed 20 April 2011).</ref> Learn more about the history of Cherokee County from the [http://www.statelibrary.sc.gov/cherokee-county South Carolina State Library] or from [http://www.carolana.com/SC/Counties/cherokee_county_sc.html Carolana.com].

Cherokee County is named for the [[Cherokee Indians]] Indians who originally inhabited much of South Carolina. After an 1895 Law required the approval of two thirds of the voters residing within the proposed county boundaries, a proponent for the creation of a new county speaking in Cherokee Township, then in York County, agreed to the name Cherokee County to curry favor from the local residents. The residents, who had been hesitant to vote for the creation of Cherokee County under the old proposed name, turned out in droves to vote for the creation of the Cherokee County.<ref>"Cherokee County" (http://www.carolana.com/SC/Counties/cherokee_county_sc.html : accessed 20 April 2011).</ref> Learn more about the history of Cherokee County from the [http://www.statelibrary.sc.gov/cherokee-county South Carolina State Library] or from [http://www.carolana.com/SC/Counties/cherokee_county_sc.html Carolana.com].

Revision as of 22:09, 1 February 2013

Cherokee County, South Carolina genealogy and family history research guide. Introduces you to county topics such as vital record births, marriages, divorces, and deaths, census, court records, deeds, maps, immigration, maps, military records, newspapers, obituaries, plantations, probate records, slaves, local archives, libraries, museums, churches, cemeteries, and Civil War records.

Historical Facts

Cherokee County is named for the Cherokee Indians Indians who originally inhabited much of South Carolina. After an 1895 Law required the approval of two thirds of the voters residing within the proposed county boundaries, a proponent for the creation of a new county speaking in Cherokee Township, then in York County, agreed to the name Cherokee County to curry favor from the local residents. The residents, who had been hesitant to vote for the creation of Cherokee County under the old proposed name, turned out in droves to vote for the creation of the Cherokee County.[1] Learn more about the history of Cherokee County from the South Carolina State Library or from Carolana.com.

The preceding list of places includes incorporated cities and towns, unincorporated towns and communities, and place names that may have been used in family histories. Some have well-organized records and even have web sites. Some are simply social communities with no official records, but which may be referenced in small-town newspapers. The list is provided to help researchers identify localities within the county. As records or histories of these localities are identified, a page will be added for each of these place names.

1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population schedules of Cherokee County are available online. For tips on accessing census records online, see South Carolina Census. If you're having trouble finding your ancestors in online indexes, try checking printed indexes. Created by local experts familiar with the area's families, these indexes are often transcribed more accurately than online nationwide indexes.

Land and Property

Because of South Carolina’s history as an agricultural state many residents owned land. For more information about types of land records see South Carolina Land and Property.

Tracing records through South Carolina county and district changes can be difficult. In general, for earliest records begin by searching the Charleston District, then your ancestor’s residential district, then neighboring districts, then the residential county, then neighboring counties. Not all districts and counties kept records. The following chart show where you may best expect to find land records for Cherokee County:

Tracing Land Currently in Cherokee County with land originating in York county with Parent Counties and Districts[3]

Date

Government Office

1897-present

Cherokee County

1868-1897

York County

1800-1868

York District

1791-1800

York County (old) Records in Pinckney District

1785-1791

York County (old) Records in Camden District

1769-1785

Camden District * **

1719-1769

Charleston District *

1710-1719

Proprietary Land Grants *

* Records before 1772 may be found in North Carolina counties Tryon, Mecklenburg and Anson ** Some early Camden District records may be found in Kershaw County

Tracing Land Currently in Cherokee County with land originating in Spartanburg County with Parent Counties and Districts[4]

Date

Government Office

1897-present

Cherokee County

1868-1897

Spartanburg County

1800-1868

Spartanburg District

1791-1800

Spartanburg County in Pinkney District

1785-1791

Spartanburg County (old) in Ninety-Six District

1769-1785

Ninety-Six District

1719-1769

Charleston District

1710-1719

Proprietary Land Grants

* Some early records may be found in North Carolina counties Anson, Mecklenburg, or Tryon

Plats For State Land Grants 1784-1868 For information about the State Land Grants, see State Land Grants

Local Histories

Gorski, Eddie L., South Carolina Confederate Widows Pension Act of 1919 for Cherokee County (S.l. : s.n., c1991), 54 Leaves. Abstracts from the files in the Probate Judges Office of the Cherokee County Courthouse, Gaffney, S.C. Includes full-name index. Contains information on all Civil War soldiers and widows for cherokee county. Book at FHL 975.742 M2gand Other Libraries

Stevens, Robert J. Captain Bill : the Records and Writings of Captain William Henry Edwards (and Others), Company A, 17th Regiment, South Carolina Volunteers, Confederate States of America. (Richburg, South Carolina : Chester District Genealogical Society, c1985) A History and Genealogy of Chester County, S.C. in Five Volumes. Contents: v. 1. Autobiography of Captain William Henry Edwards, his obituary, a condensed history of the seventeenth regiment including military records -- v. 2. Letters of genealogical and historical importance -- v. 3. Published writings, including obituaries, of the early 20th century -- v. 4. Genealogies of the Edwards, Culp, Edward McFadden & Robert McFadden families; a bibliography.--v. 5. Miscellaneous, Epilogue. Books 1-3 at FHL 975.747 H2s and Other Libraries

Maps

Migration

Early migration routes to and from Cherokee County for European settlers included:[6]

"Events to Battle of Kings Mountain," Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine, August 1985, Volume 119, Issue 7. Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine : Washington, D.C. FHL Collection Book 973 B2dar.

"Battle of Cowpens," Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine, November 1973, Volume 107, Issue 9. Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine : Washington, D.C. FHL Collection Book 973 B2dar.

Civil War, 1861-1865

Cherokee County did not exist in the Civil War. It was created in 1897 from the counties of Spartanburg, York, and Union Counties. During the Civil War, men from the area of Cherokee County mostly would have served in various regiments recruited in those counties. Counties were called districts during the Civil War.

Gorski, Eddie L., South Carolina Confederate Widows Pension Act of 1919 for Cherokee County (S.l.: s.n., c1991), 54 Leaves. Abstracts from the files in the Probate Judges Office of the Cherokee County Courthouse, Gaffney, S.C. Includes full-name index. Contains information on all Civil War soldiers and widows for cherokee county. Book at FHL 975.742 M2gand Other Libraries

Stevens, Robert J. Captain Bill : the Records and Writings of Captain William Henry Edwards (and Others), Company A, 17th Regiment, South Carolina Volunteers, Confederate States of America. (Richburg, South Carolina : Chester District Genealogical Society, c1985) A History and Genealogy of Chester County, S.C. in Five Volumes. Contents: v. 1. Autobiography of Captain William Henry Edwards, his obituary, a condensed history of the seventeenth regiment including military records -- v. 2. Letters of genealogical and historical importance -- v. 3. Published writings, including obituaries, of the early 20th century -- v. 4. Genealogies of the Edwards, Culp, Edward McFadden & Robert McFadden families; a bibliography.--v. 5. Miscellaneous, Epilogue. Books 1-3 at FHL 975.747 H2s and Other Libraries

Newspapers

Historic

The Library of Congress has identified the following historic newspapers for Cherokee County, South Carolina on their Chronicling America website. For publication details, including dates of publication, frequency, preceding and succeeding titles, and to find out which libraries have holdings, click on the newspaper title.

Periodicals

Tap into the minds of local experts. Editors of genealogical periodicals publish unique sources that researchers new to their area may not encounter. Periodicals at various levels (county, region, and state) may carry articles useful to research in this area. For this county, see:

Probate

Probate is the “court procedure by which a will is proved to be valid or invalid” and encompasses “all matters and proceedings pertaining to the administration of estates, guardianships, etc.”[7] Various types of records are created throughout the probate process. These may include, wills, bonds, petitions, accounts, inventories, administrations, orders, decrees, and distributions. For further information see probate records in South Carolina.

Cherokee County Will Book 1897-1915: with every name index of persons listed in the wills. Microfilm of originals loaned by Malinda Poole of Gaffney, South Carolina FHL Film 1598333

Cherokee County WIll Books 1-6 ca. 1894-1962: with every name index of persons listed in the wills. Microfilm of originals loaned by Malinda Poole of Gaffney, South Carolina. FHL Film 1597873

Abstracts of Cherokee County, will book 1: from the files in the Probate Office in the Cherokee County Court House, Gaffney, S.C. FHL BOOK 975.7 A1 no. 100

Taxation

Tax-related records are kept by the offices of the county Assessor, Auditor, Sheriff, and Treasurer. Taxes were levied on real and personal property and can help establish ages, residences, relationships, and the year an individual died or left the area. They can be used as substitutes for missing or destroyed land and census records.

South Carolina Department of Archives and History tax lists for Cherokee County.

Vital Records

Birth, marriage, and death records were not recorded by South Carolina until the 1900s, thus leaving a lack of vital records. Substitute records, when available, are used to obtain this information. These substitute records including newspapers, court records have been added to this section, when applicable.

Birth

State-wide birth registration began in 1915. For a copy of a birth from 1915 or later, contact the South Carolina Department of Health. The Cherokee County Health Department also has copies but they provide only an abbreviated form with limited information. For more information, see the South Carolina Vital Records page.

Marriage

In South Carolina, marriage licenses were not required by local governments until 1 July 1911. However, in the 1700s, the Church of England parish churches were required to record all marriages - even if the couple were not members of the denomination. Not all churches recorded these marriages and some have not survived. See South Carolina Vital Records for more information.

The library has a genealogy/local history room that is open all hours that the main library is open. It is staffed from 10:00 AM-2:00 PM Monday-Friday by a genealogy assistant. They carry census records, microfilm copies of the longest-standing local paper, The Gaffney Ledger, dating back to its inception in 1894, an extensive Cherokee County collection (including family histories, cemetery records, church records, and plenty of other sources), DAR references, as well as South Carolina records and some out-of-state information.

The Heritage Room contains materials relating to the people and history of Cherokee County, South Carolina and other areas. The collection consists of books, pamphlets, census records, microfilm, newspapers, church and family records. Materials in the Heritage Room collection are unique, costly to replace or irreplaceable. When the room is not staffed it will be unavailable to the public.

The library itself offers access to two online genealogy databases, Heritage Quest and Ancestry Library. Heritage Quest is available remotely to Cherokee County Public Library card holders. Their catalog is online.

Museums

Cherokee County History & Arts MuseumAddress:301 College DriveGaffney, S.C. 29340 Telephone: 864-489-3988 Located on the 1812 mustering ground of the South Carolina Militia and the site of the historic Central School building, the Cherokee County History & Arts Museum is also home to the offices of its governing body, the Cherokee Historical & Preservation Society. Phase I of the facility opened in May 2008 and renovations are currently underway on Phases II and III of the building. Upon completion, the History & Arts Museum will house over 20,000sq. feet of exhibits, meeting spaces, and educational resources for Cherokee County residents and visitors.

↑Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), 847-61. (FHL Book 973 D27e 2002) WorldCat entry., and William E. Myer, Indian Trails of the Southeast. (Nashville, Tenn.: Blue and Gray Press, 1971), 12-14, and the book's pocket map "The Trail System of the Southeastern United States in the Early Colonial Period" (1923). (FHL Book 970.1 M992i) WorldCat entry.